Abstract
DENDRIMERS- THE POLYMERS OF THE 21st CENTURY
Dendrimersare a class of macromolecules with spherical shape and nanosized polymers witha tree-like well-defined branched structure. The word “dendrimer” originatedfrom two words, the Greek word dendron, meaning tree, and meros, meaning part. Dendrimerspossess three distinguished architectural components, namely (i)An initiator core,(ii) Interior layers (generations) composed of repeating units, radicallyattached to the interior core, and (iii) Exterior (terminal functionality)attached to the outermost interior generations. Dendrimer diameter increaseslinearly per generation, whereas the number of surface groups is increasinglygeometrical. Dendrimers of lower generations (0, 1, and 2) have highly symmetricshapes and possess more open structures as compared to higher-generationdendrimers.